Trump Interior chief ‘failed to abide’ by ethics rules, official report finds

Ryan Zinke engaged in real estate negotiations for private project while secretary

Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose overseeing of the agency under President Donald Trump was much maligned by environmental groups, violated his ethical obligations by continuing to work on real estate negotiations for a private business venture while in office, a new report states.

The report comes from the House Oversight Committee, which stated that it referred the findings to the Justice Department and was informed that the agency would not prosecute Mr Zinke or any of his former employees.

It reads in part that Mr Zinke “failed to abide by his ethics obligations in which he committed not to manage or provide any other services” to the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation, which he and others founded. Specifically, Mr Zinke was involved extensively in negotiations with Halliburton over use of his foundation’s land for a commercial project.

“[W]e found that Secretary Zinke misused his official position in violation of Federal regulations by directing his subordinates to assist him with matters related to the Foundation,” the lawmakers wrote.

While the findings mean that he will not face any kind of prosecution, Mr Zinke is currently running for Congress in his home state of Montana in a newly-drawn district. He is expected to win, given the state’s political makeup and his endorsement from Mr Trump.

Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (Copyright 2018 the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

He resigned from the Interior Department in 2018 amid other criticism of his real estate dealings in Montana.

The Justice Department has yet to determine whether Mr Zinke or potentially others will face criminal charges in a separate case involving his decision to deny two Native American tribes in Connecticut a permit to operate a casino, according to The Washington Post.

Politico reported in the fall that much of the criticism Mr Zinke has faced in his bid for Congress thus far has centred not around the myriad of misconduct inquiries he faced as a Cabinet member but rather on how much time he spends in the state and district itself versus at a second residence in California.